Jack Vainisi laid the foundation for the Green Bay Packers' dynasty of the 1960s, assembling a pool of player talent that became the nucleus of five National Football League championship teams in seven seasons under Vince Lombardi.

Unfortunately, Vainisi never saw the ultimate fruits of his labor.

Vainisi was a keen judge of talent, but the former scout, scouting director, and personnel director from 1950-'60 died at age 33 of a heart attack in Green Bay. His death came just one month before Green Bay made it to the NFL Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 26, 1960.

"Jack Vainisi was highly regarded as a talent scout," said Lee Remmel, former Packer team historian and public relations director. "He helped build a dynasty, and his 1958 draft is considered the best in team history."

With their first five selections, the Packers chose Dan Currie, Jim Taylor, Dick Christy, Ray Nitschke, and Jerry Kramer. Taylor (1958-'66) and Nitschke (1958-'72) were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976 and 1978, respectively, while Kramer (1958-'68) and Currie (1958-'64) were stalwarts in the offensive line and linebacker corps.

It was Vainisi who - on his own authority - first contacted Lombardi to see if he was interested in the Green Bay job after the disastrous 1-10-1 season of 1958 under Ray "Scooter" McLean. Lombardi told Vainisi in a phone conversation that he was, which delighted Vainisi, who had grown frustrated watching talented players fail to reach their potential in Green Bay.

Vainisi then lobbied members of the Packer executive board to not only hire Lombardi, but also give Lombardi the autonomy and authority Lombardi wanted as both head coach and general manager.

Vainisi's legacy was not only seven future NFL Hall of Fame players - Paul Hornung, Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Jim Ringo, Willie Wood, Taylor, and Nitschke - but the legendary head coach, with whom he enjoyed a close personal relationship.

Vainisi grew up a Bears fan in North Chicago and had close ties to George Halas - both as a youth and throughout his professional career.

His grade-school classmate was George Halas Jr., who was known as "Mugsy."

Vainisi's father, Tony, owned a grocery store and deli near Wrigley Field that was frequented by several Bears players. Some of Halas' players helped coach Jack and Mugsy's eighth-grade football team, and more than a few players were guests at the Vainisis' house for home-cooked meals.

One guest was Gene Ronzani, a former halfback who succeeded Curly Lambeau as head coach of the Packers in 1950.

An outstanding lineman in high school, Vainisi received a scholarship to play football at Notre Dame. After his freshman year, he was drafted and stationed in Japan with the U.S. Army. He played with the service football team before falling ill with rheumatic fever, which caused permanent damage to his heart.

His football-playing career was over but not his desire to work for an NFL team one day.

After recovering in an Army hospital back in the United States, Vainisi completed his education at Notre Dame. In the summer of 1950, Ronzani offered Vainisi a scouting position with the Packers.

While Green Bay's fortunes declined in the "Forgettable '50s," Vainisi learned the ropes and began developing a system of scouting that was the envy of other NFL teams. He developed a ranking and coding system for the statistics of more than 4,000 players.

"Jack had a network of people all over the country," said Pat Peppler, former Green Bay scouting and personnel director from 1963-'71. "He worked very hard and was respected in the colleges. I was an assistant at North Carolina State, and I'd give Jack scouting reports at the end of the season for $100. I got to know Jack well over the phone but never met him in person."

Vainisi's reputation for assessing talent grew as he pushed for the drafting of Hornung with the Packers' bonus pick in 1957.

"Jack was a Notre Dame boy, and he pushed for the Packers to draft me," Hornung said. "I loved Jack Vainisi - all the players did. He even got along with Lombardi. He was a football man - that's what he was. Pure and simple. He brought so much talent to Green Bay, but it took Lombardi to make us champions."

Vainisi would never see or reap the benefits of the championship teams he helped build in the 1960's.

He died at home of heart failure, just three days after the Packers' 23-10 loss to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day in 1960. Hornung dedicated the Bears' game the following Sunday in Vainisi's honor, and the Packers routed their rivals, 41-13, at Wrigley Field.

Green Bay won its final two games to claim the Western Conference title and advance to the NFL Championship in Philadelphia, where they lost to the Eagles, 17-13.

"While Lombardi lives on in American culture, Vainisi is lost in the oblivion of minor sports figures of the past," wrote David Maraniss in his book, "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi."

For his contributions and service to the franchise, Vainisi was inducted posthumously into the Packers Hall of Fame in 1982. He remains an unsung hero in team history.